Speaking
Leadership, communication, marketing, AI, and inclusion, made memorable by lived experience. Keynotes and workshops, customized to the people in your room. Available as keynote, workshop, panel or moderator, virtual.
Find the right talk
Confidence and Resilience
Turn what makes you different into what makes you a better leader.
Difference isn’t a detour from leadership. It can be the way in. A lived-experience keynote on hidden disability, resourcefulness, and seeing an advantage where others see a limitation.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Recognize the strengths hiding in your own differences.
- Build trust by leading with honesty, not a perfect-person act.
- Create room for different perspectives to improve how your team works.
Best for
- Corporate keynotes
- ERGs
- Disability inclusion month
- Associations
Confidence isn’t a feeling you wait for. I had to build mine one word at a time.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Practical reps that build confidence under pressure.
- How to treat rejection as data instead of a verdict.
- How to speak up in rooms where you feel like you don’t belong.
Best for
- Professional development
- Women’s and ERG programs
- Sales teams
- Students
More than 20 years of speech therapy, then a cochlear implant decades later. The long way around is still a way through.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Break an impossible goal into daily reps you can actually do.
- Build the support team that keeps you going when you want to quit.
- Turn what held you back into what sets you apart.
Best for
- Conference openers and closers
- Associations
- Schools
- Nonprofits
Leadership
A keynote on unlocking your potential and performing at an exceptional level in your role.
Delivered at AEMP CONNECT and Kuehne+Nagel's National Leadership Conference
Built for association conferences, annual meetings, and professional development events, this keynote connects daily habits, communication, and team culture to exceptional performance.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Build the personal and professional habits that drive high performance.
- Communicate in ways that build a culture of excellence on your team.
- Leave with actionable strategies to raise your own level and your team’s.
Best for
- Association conferences
- Annual meetings
- Leadership and professional development events
Decide how you want to be known as a leader, then lead that way on purpose.
Delivered for APS
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Identify the defining moments that shaped how you lead.
- Write your personal leadership brand statement.
- Leave with a one-page leadership strategy snapshot.
Best for
- Emerging leader programs
- Manager cohorts
- Leadership retreats
Rolling out AI is easy. Keeping your team’s trust while you do it is the real work.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- How to talk about AI with your team without creating fear.
- How to pick first use cases that earn quick wins and trust.
- Where humans must stay accountable for judgment.
Best for
- Executive teams
- Managers
- HR and L&D
- Leadership retreats
Teams and Communication
I spent my life working to be understood. Most teams don’t fail on talent. They fail on communication.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Interactive exercises that show how teams miss each other.
- Listening habits from a lifetime of lip reading that make meetings work.
- Team agreements that make sure every voice gets heard.
Best for
- Team offsites
- Department kickoffs
- Cross-functional teams
- New teams
Hearing the words and actually listening are two very different things.
When you read lips and body language to communicate, you learn a thing or two about attention. Honest, useful lessons for leaders, sellers, and teams who want to understand more and assume less.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Notice the nonverbal signals you usually overlook.
- Replace distracted listening with intentional attention.
- Ask better questions and check understanding before acting.
Best for
- Sales kickoffs
- Leadership retreats
- Team trainings
Entrepreneurship
I started my first business as a teenager and never stopped. Here’s what actually matters.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Test ideas cheaply before you bet big.
- Sell it before you build it.
- What failed ventures teach that wins never do.
Best for
- Entrepreneur events
- Chambers of commerce
- Incubators and accelerators
- College business programs
Less AI hype. More building something people actually want.
From the executive marketing seat: a practical look at go-to-market, brand, and AI for founders and small businesses. Connect your marketing choices to real customer needs, not the newest shiny tool.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Clarify who you serve and why your offer matters.
- Connect brand, positioning, and go-to-market decisions.
- Identify practical AI applications without losing human judgment.
Best for
- Entrepreneur events
- Chambers
- Conferences
- Colleges
AI and the Future of Work
I lead marketing at an AI company. Here’s what AI still can’t do, and how to get great at it.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- The human skills AI amplifies instead of replaces: judgment, trust, storytelling, and listening.
- How to hand AI the work that doesn’t need you so you can focus on the work that does.
- A personal plan to become more valuable as the tools get smarter.
Best for
- Corporate all-hands
- Association conferences
- Career development programs
- Colleges
Rolling out AI is easy. Keeping your team’s trust while you do it is the real work.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- How to talk about AI with your team without creating fear.
- How to pick first use cases that earn quick wins and trust.
- Where humans must stay accountable for judgment.
Best for
- Executive teams
- Managers
- HR and L&D
- Leadership retreats
Less AI hype. More building something people actually want.
From the executive marketing seat: a practical look at go-to-market, brand, and AI for founders and small businesses. Connect your marketing choices to real customer needs, not the newest shiny tool.
Bring this talk to your eventYour audience will take away
- Clarify who you serve and why your offer matters.
- Connect brand, positioning, and go-to-market decisions.
- Identify practical AI applications without losing human judgment.
Best for
- Entrepreneur events
- Chambers
- Conferences
- Colleges
Inclusion
What event planners get
A conversation before the stage
A pre-event call to understand your audience, goals, and the conversation you want to start.
Your audience. Not a canned talk.
Customized content that connects the topic to your people, your challenges, and your event.
Accessibility, built in
An accessible-friendly presentation, with access needs and captioning discussed before the event.
Recent stages
- Keynote, Phoenix, AZ
AEMP CONNECT
The Four Foundations of Higher Performance
“His Four Foundations of Higher Performance talk gave our members practical strategies they could take straight back to their teams. I'd recommend him to any association looking for a keynote that inspires and still delivers real takeaways.”
Rachel Connor, Chief Learning Officer, Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP) - Keynote
Kuehne+Nagel National Leadership Conference
The Four Foundations of Higher Performance
“He connects his own story to how people actually lead and perform day to day, so the message stuck well past the session.”
Alex Reuter, Vice President, Kuehne+Nagel
Media and Interviews
- Podcast / video interview
Interview with Dominic Bartola on Becoming Exceptional
With Jeremy Jones, Jones Media Publishing
- Video interview
Living and Thriving With a Hearing Impairment
YouTube
- Feature
5 Non-Intuitive Ways To Grow Your Marketing Career
Authority Magazine
What people say
“We brought Dominic in to keynote AEMP CONNECT in Phoenix, and he delivered. His Four Foundations of Higher Performance talk gave our members practical strategies they could take straight back to their teams, and his personal story kept the room with him the whole way. Dominic was easy to work with from contract to stage, and I'd recommend him to any association looking for a keynote that inspires and still delivers real takeaways.”
“Dominic spoke at our Kuehne+Nagel National Leadership Conference on his Four Foundations of Higher Performance, and it landed with our leaders. He connects his own story to how people actually lead and perform day to day, so the message stuck well past the session. Our team walked out energized and with clear ideas they could put to work.”
“Dominic's story of triumph over tragedy motivates his audience and me personally to dig deeper, not to stay in wallow for too long and to do better at the next opportunity. Audiences are captivated and in disbelief. From that point forward, it is pure inspiration. He has them eating out of the palm of his hand.”
“Dominic is an outstanding public speaker. From the moment he walks on stage, his smile captivates you. His personal story is engaging, full of personal challenge, and uplifting with the spirit. Dominic has shown what it takes to succeed, when things are stacked against you. He speaks with an honesty, and openness, that endears him to the audience, and uplifts those listening, to believe in better things, and the power of positivity. I've seen Dominic deliver speeches to audiences of just a few, to over 1000, to students and to adults. His impact is always impressive.”
“Dominic speaks from an authentic place which resonates with the humanity in us all. Everyone needs to hear his story about growing up with enormous sacrifices so he could communicate without feeling differently than others. This perseverance and love between a father, man and his hearing dog, Plato make for an amazing story for the ages.”
“What I enjoy the most about hearing Dominic speak is that you can tell he is not just preaching a message, he lives his message with every breath, which is rare for many speakers I've seen. I have seen him share his story and teach hundreds of people how to overcome challenges and discover their true purpose. I highly recommend Dominic!”
“Dominic has a relaxed and engaging speaking style that instantly connects with the audience. To see him in person is a treat, documenting his success principles that have allowed him to overcome such great odds. I have seen him speak on topics relating to personal development, leadership, marketing and business ownership!”
“I've been inspired by him for as long as I've known him. Not despite challenges, but because of how he faces the challenges. He finds strength and resolve. I've heard him speak about leadership, sales, marketing and books; he's an incredible story teller!”
“Dominic has a truly authentic and engaging speaking style. I love that Dominic captures his audience through his passion and commitment to a fulfilled life despite any obstacles or challenges that he has to face. He reminds me not to sweat the small stuff. He inspires me to stay positive.”
“Dominic is an incredibly vibrant, energetic and engaging speaker. His style uses facts, humor and personal emotional stories that immediately engage the audience. Hearing Dominic speak about his experiences growing up deaf, his relationship with his father, and how he overcame the impossible is interesting and very inspiring. He never has seen this as a disability. Rather, it is a part of him that he embraces head on; he focuses on his strengths and this empowers others to do the same.”